303.421—Appointment of an impartial person.
(a) Qualifications and duties.
An impartial person must be appointed to implement the complaint resolution process in this subpart. The person must—
(1)
Have knowledge about the provisions of this part and the needs of, and services available for, eligible children and their families; and
(i)
Listen to the presentation of relevant viewpoints about the complaint, examine all information relevant to the issues, and seek to reach a timely resolution of the complaint.
(b) Definition of impartial.
(1)
As used in this section, impartial means that the person appointed to implement the complaint resolution process—
(i)
Is not an employee of any agency or other entity involved in the provision of early intervention services or care of the child; and
(ii)
Does not have a personal or professional interest that would conflict with his or her objectivity in implementing the process.
(2)
A person who otherwise qualifies under paragraph (b)(1) of this section is not an employee of an agency solely because the person is paid by the agency to implement the complaint resolution process.
(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 1820-0550)